DJ/producer and label owner Tom de Neef obviously likes his music to do the talking. Refusing to be pigeonholed by people’s perception of any one persona, over the past few years he has relentlessly reinvented himself through a myriad of production monikers, including: Plastika, TDN, Behemoth, Villanord, Gattaca, and the Bazement Freakz (with Eddie Amador). And, whilst freely running the gamut from funk-fuelled disco to tough tech-house, the music that he plays as a DJ is as dynamic and diverse as the music that he produces at his studio in Antwerp, Belgium. He knows exactly how to make dance floors come alive and it’s a testament to his talent and passion for performing that his DJ residencies around the world include Roger Sanchez’s Stealth parties, Hed Kandi events, and club Noxx in Antwerp. However, despite such club-thumping achievements, some – including Roger Sanchez – still think that he is ‘underrated’.
Born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium, Tom grew up immersed in disco music, a style that continues to inspire him to this day. But disco music aside he was also heavily influenced by many other sounds, such as US house and techno, new wave, electro, acid house, and the Belgian new beat scene. Drawn to DJing from an early age, his first gig was at a high school party, where he played acid house to a 'rock' audience. He was hooked and continued to mix things up after leaving school as he completed degrees in drumming and accountancy, honed his studio skills, and learned to play the piano as well as a range of percussion instruments. It was a rock solid start for Tom, whose music would become renowned for its trademark beats and percussion, and his studio output soon started to cause waves. His first break came in the mid-90s through a production project called Calvin Stones, created in collaboration with the Belgian DJ/producer Eric B. Tom was then propelled even further into the limelight under his Plastika moniker when he unleashed two huge club monsters: Disco Mirror (on Additive/Positiva) in 1997 and Disco Dancing (FFRR/London Records) in 98. As he burst into the new millennium, his DJ diary swelled with exciting new invitations to perform as his success snowballed. With remixes for artists such as diverse as Kylie Minogue, Roger Sanchez, Kings of Tomorrow, Jon Cutler and Stonebridge in the bag, and an ever-growing arsenal of aliases at his disposal, Tom was on a roll and produced a wealth of hot tunes. For example, he created Answer as Plastika, which was played heavily by Pete Tong on his Radio 1 Essential Selection show; while a foray into techno under the name Villanord called Futurescope won support from Laurent Garnier and Jack de Marseille, and his tech-tinged workouts as Behemoth found favour with the likes of X-Press 2 and D’Julz. A Plastika album, Golden Zipper, was even released as illustrious labels such as Stealth, Fluential, Defected, ID&T, and Hive Recordings snapped up other gems.
Surfing on a brand new wave of world-class sounds in 2008, Tom’s as busy as ever. His most recent collaboration with Laidback Luke called Humanoidz was top play on Pete Tong’s Essential Show for 4 consecutive weeks. And there have been stacks of remixes too, including de Neef specials of Roger Sanchez’s epic Lost and Full Intention’s I Believe in You. Looking ahead, Tom is focused on Jacksquad – the name of his new label. “I think it’s great that people have had to listen to my music without prejudice, without always immediately knowing who was behind it,” says Tom. “However, nowadays people are more open to artists bringing different sounds and I hope that people will to get to know me better as the all encompassing Tom de Neef.” As such a versatile virtuoso, Tom’s imagination continues to fly free, so stay tuned because you never know what his next beats will bring!
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Born To Funk
